Look I know most of you think that this is some puerile fascination with fart jokes but its (intentionally not it's)not.

1972 -When I was three years old my father served in the military. Vietnam it was. I remember the day he left for that war. I was hiding behind the front door because my parents were arguing on the porch. Dad wanted to say goodbye and so he looked for me. I could hear the distant sound of helicopters.

"Listen son, I want you to know that I love you. You've got to look after your mom, now that I am off to war." Moisture glistened from his eyes. They were blue and protected by large gold framed glasses. He had a bunch of those rectangular medals on his dark olive suit.

"You know how when we play?" he continued. "How when we're in the living room and we build farts out of the couch cushions? Well you are going to have to build them by yourself from now on. I'll be with you in my heart if you do. From now on, you are authorized to build the farts but put the cushions away if your mother asks."

I nodded.

"Hold in the fart while I'm away"

I farkin' love my dad.

The helicopter was almost there, and people started running towards them. They wanted to catch them. It was the last American ride out of Saigon.

fusillade762:And "rule of thumb," he wrote, can according to women's activists refer "to an antiquated law, whereby the width of a husband's thumb was the legal size of a switch or rod allowed to beat his wife."

Someone needs to learn how to use the Googles.

Sometimes the old chestnuts just refuse to die, don't they? The irony is that the phrase is probably legitimately insensitive now because there is such a widespread misunderstanding amongst (usually young) feminists that this is actually the origin of the phrase.

fusillade762:And "rule of thumb," he wrote, can according to women's activists refer "to an antiquated law, whereby the width of a husband's thumb was the legal size of a switch or rod allowed to beat his wife."

Someone needs to learn how to use the Googles.

The Googles, they do nothing.

The founding fathers warned us not to let special interest groups play a role in the federal government. Federalist Paper No. 10, by Madison.

Who. Freaklng. Cares. You, the offenders, have countably infinite objectionable phrases you can use. After the bureaucrats ban, oh, say, countably infinite objectionable phases, you will STILL have another countably infinite phrases that do the job. And again, and again. Countably infinite times. Off to the next thread....

1) I love that they refer to "vicious Native American intruders," In an article biatching about being PC.

2) I would much prefer and administration that cautions its employees on what they say over an administration that (albeit only initially) referred to an active military campaign in the Middle East as a Crusade.

Don't use sayings or phrases if you're writing things that might be viewed internationally because they're just not going to get it and wonder what the hell you're talking about. Some writer I know actually used "hold down the fort" in an article recently and some British people were asking what this even meant.

fusillade762:And "rule of thumb," he wrote, can according to women's activists refer "to an antiquated law, whereby the width of a husband's thumb was the legal size of a switch or rod allowed to beat his wife."

Someone needs to learn how to use the Googles.

This.

Also... I wonder if forts existed before or outside of the need to protect ones self from the Native Americans?

Robinson cited the cautionary tale of Nike rolling out a "Black and Tan" sneaker without realizing the phrase once referred to a group "that committed atrocities against Irish civilians." Nike later apologized.

And now refers to a drink made with a popular Irish beverage. Ferfuxake, people, grow a little skin. "Choose my word carefully" Mr. Robinson? Aight, I'm very carefully calling you a dumbass.

ZeroPly:Who. Freaklng. Cares. You, the offenders, have countably infinite objectionable phrases you can use. After the bureaucrats ban, oh, say, countably infinite objectionable phases, you will STILL have another countably infinite phrases that do the job. And again, and again. Countably infinite times. Off to the next thread....

The offensive? There is a point at which it is not the fault of those using the words, but those hearing them. For instance, Los Angeles County government insisted that it's IT department stopped referring to multiple hard drives as "master" and "slave".

Really? I'm the first farker pedantic enough to point out it should be "hold the fort" not "hold down the fort"?

If I ask someone to "hold the fort", it's a pretty clear metaphor; there's a fort, I have to leave for a while, and I want them to stay and stop the Mongols getting in or whatever. I'm asking them to look after a specific location while I'm gone.

If I ask someone to "hold DOWN the fort"... Well that's meaningless. Why would you need to hold down a fort? Is it going to fly away? No. Some idiot just misheard the phrase one day, started using it wrong and other idiots copied him. Just stop it.

And Shepherds we shall be For Thee my Lord, for Thee Power hath descended forth from Thy hand Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patri, Et Fili, Et Spiritus Sancti.

Gunther:Really? I'm the first farker pedantic enough to point out it should be "hold the fort" not "hold down the fort"?

If I ask someone to "hold the fort", it's a pretty clear metaphor; there's a fort, I have to leave for a while, and I want them to stay and stop the Mongols getting in or whatever. I'm asking them to look after a specific location while I'm gone.

If I ask someone to "hold DOWN the fort"... Well that's meaningless. Why would you need to hold down a fort? Is it going to fly away? No. Some idiot just misheard the phrase one day, started using it wrong and other idiots copied him. Just stop it.